A set-top box (STB) is an information device that typically contains a tuner and connects a television set to an external signal source. The STB converts the signal source into content, and the content can be displayed on a display device, e.g., a television screen. STBs may provide non-interactive content (e.g., television programs, menus for television programs, etc.), as well as interactive content (e.g., games and social network sites) to a user. An STB may be used in cable television and satellite television systems, as well as other technologies.
An STB may also receive content from a content server, for example, for an interactive program guide service. In an example, the STB requests program guide content from the content server using an HTTP request. In some examples, STBs requesting program guide content from a content server may follow a pull framework, like that of HTTP, in which each client side device requests a content service and the server services each request by transmitting a response with the requested content. Alternatively, a content server may follow the push framework, in which the server sends the program guide content, for example, to the client side device(s) on the server's schedule without specific requests by the client(s). Where multiple devices may receive the same program guide content at about the same time, the server may also be able to multicast the appropriate content to some number of the devices, without necessarily requiring separate individual point to point transmissions. Much bandwidth may be preserved when using the push framework, rather than the pull framework, because the push framework decreases many of the content requests from the STB to the content server. In contrast, pull systems may consume high bandwidth, because many STBs may exist, and each of the many STBs is required to perform multiple requests for program guide content from the content server.